Video Storage Calculator
Work out the recording time of a drive or card, or the space you need, by resolution (HD, 4K, 6K, 8K), frame rate and codec (Apple ProRes, uncompressed, RAW).
Drives are sold in decimal GB/TB (1 TB = 1,000 GB); Windows shows GiB/TiB (1 TiB ≈ 1.1 TB). Keep a margin of about 10%: system files, metadata and variable bit rate.
Everything is computed in your browser: nothing is uploaded.
About this tool
The video storage calculator tells you how much footage fits on a drive, SSD or memory card, or how much space a shoot needs. It takes into account resolution (HD to 8K), frame rate (23.976 to 120 fps), codec, audio tracks and number of cameras.
Apple ProRes bit rates (Proxy, LT, 422, HQ, 4444 and 4444 XQ) come from Apple’s official table; uncompressed and uncompressed RAW formats are calculated exactly from pixels and bits. For other codecs (H.264, H.265, camera codecs…), enter the bit rate given by the manufacturer.
- Capacity → recording time, or duration → space needed
- HD, 2K, 4K UHD and DCI, 5K, 6K, 8K or custom size
- Apple ProRes from Apple’s official table
- Uncompressed and uncompressed RAW calculated exactly
- Audio tracks and several cameras
- Decimal GB/TB or GiB/TiB, rate per hour and per minute
How to use it
- Choose codec, resolution and frame rate.
- Set the number of audio tracks and cameras.
- Enter the media capacity, or the shooting duration.
- Read the recording time or the space needed.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours of 4K fit on 1 TB?
In Apple ProRes 422 HQ, 4K UHD at 25 fps (737 Mb/s), about 3 hours; in ProRes 422, about 4 h 30.
Why does my 1 TB drive show 931 GB?
Manufacturers count in decimal units (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes) and Windows in binary units: 1 TB is about 931 GiB.
Are the bit rates exact?
For ProRes they are Apple’s published target rates: real files can vary with the image. For uncompressed, the calculation is exact apart from headers.
What about my camera in H.265?
Choose “Other bit rate” and enter the rate from the manual (for example 150 Mb/s).